Seoul: South Korea will not attend Japan's memorial ceremony for victims of wartime forced labor at the Sado mine complex for the third consecutive year, the foreign ministry announced on Wednesday. Japan is set to hold the memorial event in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Saturday, where many Koreans were forced to work during World War II.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Seoul's decision to boycott the memorial comes after the two countries failed to reach an agreement on key issues related to the commemoration. The discussions centered around how to address the coercive nature of the mobilization of Korean workers in the ceremony. The South Korean ministry stated that despite serious consultations with Japan, they decided not to attend due to the lack of agreement on critical points.
The ministry also urged Japan to implement fully the recommendations from a decision adopted by the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee. These recommendations include holding an annual memorial ceremony for the mine victims, which was a part of Japan's pledge when the Sado mine complex was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2024.
South Korea has boycotted the ceremonies in 2024 and 2025, criticizing Tokyo's sincerity in honoring the victims. Instead, Seoul has held separate ceremonies near the Sado site. A ministry official confirmed that South Korea plans to hold its own ceremony later this year.
In July, the World Heritage Committee adopted a decision urging Japan to reflect the "whole history" of the Sado mine. This decision emphasized the necessity for further clarification on its interpretation and presentation strategy and facilities during all periods of mining exploitation. The "whole history" includes the period when more than 1,500 Koreans were mobilized to work at the mine during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. The mine, once known for its gold production, was later repurposed to produce war supplies for the Japanese imperial army during World War II.